Bully: Scholarship Edition Preview

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You think the streets of San Andreas are tough? Try walking the halls of Bullworth Academy.

By Hilary Goldstein

Rockstar Games is best known for the Grand Theft Auto series, but as many PS2 owners know, there is another open-world gem in its catalogue. Bully came during the waning months of the PS2, but still sold nearly 2 million copies. Still, many Xbox 360 owners missed out on what may be Rockstar's funniest game to date. So to catch gamers up on the series, Rockstar is putting out Bully: Scholarship Edition on March 4. With an engine built from the ground up for 360, Bully: SE gives you everything that was great about the original along with eight new missions, four new classes to attend, and ten offline competitive minigames. All for $49.99.

You take the role of Jimmy Hopkins, a rambunctious teen who's dropped off at the front gates of his new school as the game begins. If you're expecting an experience like Hogwart's, you can forget about it. Bullworth Academy is a run-down, corrupt prep school far too dangerous for the likes of dainty wizards. "Stomp the Head of the New Guy" replaces the traditional Quidditch matches of which Potter fans are fond. Think of it more like 90210 on lockdown, only Brenda and Brandon ran away together and eloped last summer.

Gary greets the new kid in school.

Bully attempts to simulate high school life. There are cliques, including the Nerds, the Preppies and the Jocks, all of whom are identifiable by the outfits they wear. And while the Nerds might wear the same green sweater vests, Rockstar promises that no two kids are alike. You won't be seeing the same face filling the hallways.

Like any kid in a new school, Jimmy has to figure out how to maneuver within Bullworth's complex social network. He'll tackle many of the dilemmas faced by America's youth -- what to wear, how to avoid getting his ass kicked, how best to slip a nice girl some tongue. To help express Jimmy's teenage angst, social interactions are available using the face buttons. The system is reminiscent of Fable's D-Pad gestures, but look to be more relevant to gameplay in Bully. How you treat others affects how they (and often their entire clique) treat you.

Jimmy also has to attend class. There's a schedule for classes and even associated mini-games. Create complex chemical compounds in Chemistry class, unlock new hand-to-hand moves in Gym and expand your vocabulary with word puzzles in English class. Four new classes have been added for the Scholarship Edition: Biology, Music, Math and Geography.

In biology class, you'll have to dissect animals in a surprisingly detailed minigame. You begin with small animals, but as you progress, the critters get bigger and the tasks therefore tougher. You're given several necessary tools on your table, including a scalpel and tweezers. For dissecting a frog, you need to first pick up the scalpel and then trace along the dotted outline. Next, use the tweezers to peel back the skin and some pushpins to keep the area open. A magnifying glass offers a better view of Kermy's insides. The dissection requires you to cut out vital organs and place them in your pan for further study. Sorry kids, but there's no option for "conscionable objector" to dissections.

These guys look friendly.

If you were to play a kid who kept his nose clean and always went to class, you'd have one boring videogame. Sooner or later, Jimmy is going to have to fight. Don't expect South Central drive-bys. There are no "Boyz" in this hood. Fighting is hand-to-hand (or with a slingshot), but there's no killing. If you are expecting GTA on high school grounds, forget it. Bully is its own beast. The melee system is fairly robust, with plenty of new moves unlocked as you progress through the story. One nice touch is the ability to humiliate your enemy once you've done enough damage. Humiliations are end moves for teenage boys and include the classic, "Why are you hitting yourself?" finisher.